A peer is a person who is about the same age as you. Peers affect your life, whether you know it or not, just by spending time with you.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Maybe another student in your science class taught you an easy way to remember the planets in solar system. Maybe you got others excited about your new favorite book and now everyone's reading it. However, sometimes peers affect one another in another way{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Maybe a kid in the neighborhood wanted you to steal with him.

    Some kids give in to peer pressure because they want to be liked, to fit in, or because they worry that other kids may make fun of them if they don't go along with the group.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} The idea that “everyone's doing it” may influence some kids to leave their better judgments or their common senses behind.

    Peer pressure can be extremely strong and hard to get rid of. Experiments have shown how peer pressure can influence someone to change her/his mind from what she/he knows for sure is a correct answer to the incorrect answer-just because everyone else gives the incorrect answer!{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Paying attention to your own feelings and beliefs about what is right and wrong can help you know the right thing to do. Inner strength and self-confidence can help you stand firm, walk away and resist doing something when you know better.

A. Peers can have a good effect on one another.

B. Peer pressure is the direct influence on people by peers.

C. Good peers may give you a hand when you are in trouble.

D. That holds true for people of any age in peer pressure situations.

E. Maybe one kid in school tried to get another to cut class with him.

F. It can be hard to walk away from peer pressure, but it can be done.

G. Others may go along because they are curious to try something new that others are doing.

    Yu Xu, one of China's first female fighter pilots who could fly a J-10 jet, died during a flight training in Tangshan in North China's Hebei province on Saturday. Almost all major media outlets have sung high praise for Yu's spirit. People's Daily said: "She died for the peace and happiness of so many families ... The name of Yu and other heroes will be carved not only in stone, but also in the hearts of millions." However, despite being a news hit, a lot of social media platforms still pay much attention to pop stars, no matter their weddings, problematic marriages or just datings. The day Yu died, she did not even make it to the top-10 hot topics on micro blogs.

    Some netizens have criticized such people for being too cold to news about heroes who defend our country. They even quoted from the book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, to express their concerns over people being misled by new media while referring to pop stars as "xi zi", a contemptuous(轻蔑的) term used for entertainment stars in the old days.

    However, it is unnecessary to shame those netizens who were busy reading about film stars and other celebrities. We live in the age of social and new media, where the celebrities usually draw greater public attention than real heroes. This is partly because the agents(经纪人) of celebrities（名人）are very skilled at using social tools to expand their fan base for commercial gains.

    Of course, we should admit the great influence entertainment has on people's minds and it helps the media industry make money. Pop stars do take up a lot of our time, and especially many young people waste their spare energy on them, their new songs, new movies, even rumors about their love life and other scandals. The domestic media industry needs improvement, some entertainment stars should improve their public images, but it is not right to call them "xi zi".

    The media may be encouraging people to pay greater attention to celebrities than military heroes, but that does not necessarily mean people pay less respect to heroes than stars. The increasing number of reports about the pilot shows the heroes are worth people's added attention, and they get it.

Greater attention to celebrities doesn't mean less respect for heroes

    Eyesight plays a very important role in our daily life. Every waking moment, the eyes are working to see the world around us. Over forty percent of Americans worry about losing eyesight, but it's easy to include steps into our daily life to ensure healthy eyes. Here are five suggestions for a lifetime of healthy eyesight:

    Schedule yearly exams. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Experts advise parents to bring babies 6 to 12 months of age to the doctor for a careful check. The good news is that millions of children now can have yearly eye exams and following treatment, including eye- glasses.

    Protect against UV rays . Long-term stay in the sun creates risk to your eyes. No matter what the season is, it's extremely important to wear sunglasses. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Give your eyes a break. Two-thirds of Americans spend up to seven hours a day using computers or other digital products. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Experts recommend that people practice the 20/20/20 rule: every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}As part of a healthy diet, eat more fruits and vegetables each day. Vitamins C and E help protect eyesight and promote eye health.

    Practice safe wear and care of contact lenses (隐形眼镜). Many Americans use contact lenses to improve their eyesight. While some follow the medical guidance for wearing contact lenses, many are breaking the rules and putting their eyesight at risk. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Otherwise, you may have problems such as red eyes, pain in the eyes, or a more serious condition.

    Traveling alone gives you the freedom to create your own schedule and do as you please. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} For example, a travel partner can provide practical support and celebrate in the rewards of first-hand experience with unfamiliar locations and cultures. Here are several steps to find a travel partner who will improve your journey. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Traveling should be fun. When you are on a trip, you will want to do lots of activities that you enjoy. Preferably, your companion will want to do the same things as you.

    Discuss financial plans. Before you travel, you should plan a budget. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You don't want to be planning an expensive getaway when your friend is looking for budget travel.

    Have an honest conversation. If you are thinking about traveling with a companion, take some time to have an open discussion. Schedule a time to sit down and talk. Try saying, "I know we've talked about the idea of traveling through Europe together. Let's have a coffee this week and actually talk that through." {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You should also talk about your travel style.

    Find someone who is flexible. Choose a travel partner who can adjust. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Maybe it will rain on the day you planned to visit the Grand Canyon. Or you might not be able to get reservations at that French restaurant you've been dying to try.

A. Look for someone with common interests.

B. You should discuss your goals for the trip.

C. Travel with a friend who is pretty easygoing.

D. But traveling with a partner has its benefits, too.

E. Make sure that you are on the same page concerning money.

F. Try to meet your new travel partner in person before your trip.

G. No matter how carefully you plan your trip, it is likely that something will go wrong.

A problem shared can be a problem doubled

    People discuss their problems with friends in the hope that they'll gain some idea on how to solve them. And even if they don't find a way to solve their problems, it feels good to let off some steam. Indeed, having close friends to trust is a good relief against poor mental health. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    The term psychologist's use for negative problem sharing is "co-rumination". Co-rumination is the mutual encouragement to discuss problems too much, repeatedly going over the same problems, expecting future problems and focusing on negative feelings. It is more about keeping talking about problems than solving them. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} In a study involving children aged seven to 15 years of age, researchers found that co-rumination in both boys and girls is associated with "high-quality" and close friendships. However, in girls, it was also associated with anxiety and depression (the same association was not found with the boys).

    If we look at the theory behind why individuals ruminate, it may shed some light on why friends co-ruminate. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} So if two people believe rumination is beneficial, then working together to co-ruminate to find answers may seem like a useful thing to do, as two heads may appear better than one. But focusing on problems and negative emotion together can increase negative beliefs and moods — and result in a greater need to co-ruminate.

    Traditionally, therapy has not prioritised handling rumination or co-rumination directly as maintaining factors in psychological problems. Instead, approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) have aimed to challenge only the content of rumination. Humanistic approaches such as counselling have provided conditions to potentially ruminate on the content of problems. And psychodynamic (心理动力的) approaches such as psychoanalysis have aimed to analyze the content of rumination.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} But if this occurs in therapy, a strong therapeutic relationship may well be a positive outcome of co-rumination — regardless of whether the client's symptoms improve or not.

    And, on the social side, discussing problems with friends doesn't always have to lead to worsening mental health, as long as the discussion involves finding solutions and the person with the problem acts on those solutions. Then, relationships can be positive and beneficial to both parties, and a problem shared can really be a problem halved.

A. According to a leading theory on rumination, people believe that it will help them find answers and make them feel better.

B. How you co-ruminate matters too.

C. Focusing on the content of rumination runs the risk of fostering co-rumination between client and therapist.

D. How problems are discussed, though, can be the difference between halving a problem or doubling it.

E. Co-rumination with work colleagues can increase the risk of stress and tiredness, one study suggests.

F. Research shows that co-rumination is a double-edged sword.

Are You Treated Too Nicely?

    A new study found that when trying to build high self-esteem in children, parents may unconsciously be creating little narcissists (自恋狂). {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Parents who are always praising their children may be trying to develop high self-esteem. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} In fact, too much special treatment can lead to narcissistic behavior.

    "{#blank#}3{#/blank#} That may not be good for them or for society." Brad Bushman, co-author of the study and professor of communication and psychology at the Ohio State University, said in a press release. "People with high self-esteem think they're as good as others, whereas narcissists think they're better than others."

    This study, as well as previous studies about parent-child relationships Bushman has worked on, caused him to alter his own parenting style. When he began his research, he thought that children should be treated like they are special by their parents. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} He said that interventions (干预) can help parents learn how to better support their children.

    "Parent training interventions can, for example, teach parents to express affection and appreciation toward children without telling children that they are superior to others," Bushman said. "Future studies should test whether this can work."

A. Now he is careful not to follow that model.

B. Children whose parents tell them they are special are more likely to become narcissists.

C. But actually, they have realized that they are running their children.

D. Children believe it when their parents tell them that they are more special than others.

E. And he carefully carries out the principle.

F. However, the study showed that loving and emotionally warm parents are more likely to have confident kids.